Speier wins Lantos' seat in Congress

COMFORTABLE MARGIN SEALS VICTORY IN SPECIAL ELECTION

Twenty-nine years after her first unsuccessful run, Jackie Speier has won election to Congress.

The Hillsborough Democrat will hop a plane to Washington, D.C., today after an emphatic victory in Tuesday's special election to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo.

Needing more than half of the vote to avoid a runoff in the 12th Congressional District, Speier had more than 79 percent with 242 of 383 precincts reporting. She easily bested one fellow Democrat, two Republicans and a Green Party candidate.

"It's thrilling," Speier said of the win. "It's a great legacy I'm stepping into."

Speier was an aide to one of the seat's former occupants, Rep. Leo Ryan, when she traveled with him to Guyana in 1978 to investigate the People's Temple cult. She was wounded in the attack by cult members that left her mentor dead.

Speier launched a long-shot bid in the following year's special election to fill Ryan's seat, but finished third. This time, after six years on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and 18 in the state Legislature, Speier was running as the clear favorite to replace Lantos.

She raised 40 times more money than her nearest rival and garnered the support of Democratic heavyweights from Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein to Lantos himself, who endorsed her before he died of cancer on Feb. 11.

Advertisement

Speier nodded to Lantos in a victory speech before a few hundred supporters in the Machinists Hall in Burlingame, calling him "a great conscience for this country and around the world."

For her part, Speier says she's heading to Washington with plans to protect consumers, help create a universal health care system and bring U.S. troops home from Iraq.

She'll be sworn in on Thursday and plans to participate in votes on the House floor the same day. With her win, Speier also becomes a superdelegate in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

With partial returns Tuesday night, Atherton Republican Greg Conlon held second place with about 9.6 percent of the vote. He was followed by Foster City Republican Mike Moloney with 5.3 percent and San Francisco Democrat Michelle McMurry with 3.8 percent.